Automobile license plate holder



Nov. 24, 1936. w H, H BBY 2,062,057

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed Sept. 21, 1954 0 MW William 1117355 W Z Z l Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER William H. Hobby, Miami, Fla. Application September 21, 1934, Serial No. 744,981

1 Claim.

mobile license plate holders, and particularly to a locking fastening device intended and adapted for use in mounting and securing license plates on automobiles, and in other connections formounting, securing and fastening plates or other members in position and for retaining the same against unauthorized removal, or loss or casual displacement. I

An object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device that can be used in mounting an automobile license plate'upon the usual supporting bracket structure, can be used in mounting and supporting sign plates,

and can be employed in variousother connections, and which device will secure the plate or other supported member permanently in place and will guard against theft or loss.

Another object is to so construct the parts that as the locking fastening device is assembled, the parts can be readily interfitted Without the use of special appliances or tools and yet the parts cannot be disassembled from the locked position and relation without damage or destruction of the fastening device itself, and also probably the license tag or other member supported and fastened thereby. v

A further object is to provide a device of. this character which can be used in various places and with various members, and which will adapt itself to the particular thickness of material and to each peculiar and individual use or installation.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art,- my invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations and cooperation of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in connection with the drawing and then pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing an automobile license tag with'my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 22 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation to better show the locking body.

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of the body as illustrated in Fig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the lock member.

Fig. 6 is a view in 'end elevation of the member as shown in Fig. 5.

' 'lar fastening, inasmuch as the fastening device My invention relates to improvements in auto- Fig. 7 is a view inelevation showing a cushion washer adaptable for use with my invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view through the washer illustrated in Fig. '1.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view through a modified 5 form of locking body. i

In the present instanceI have shown my invention as particularly constructed and adapted for use in supporting, securing, fastening and locking a license plate upon the usual license plate bracket of an automobile; but, it will be appreciated that the device is adaptable foruse in many other connections and for many other purposes, and that the structure is susceptible of changes to suit various conditions of use, 15

while retaining the main features and embodi- ,ments of the invention. i

In the drawing I have shown the license plate l as being of substantially standard form and I construction, and the license plate supportingzo bracket 2 is also intended to be any ordinary or usual bracket structure. It is customary to provide elongated slots 3 in the license plate I have not met with public favor and acceptance, due to the fact that the structures are perhaps complicated in their construction and assembly, are not conveniently usable and practicable, or 35 do notofferany material improvement or advantage over the ordinary fastening bolt. The

device of my invention does attain very great advantages over an ordinary bolt, or other simican be instantaneously inserted in place and assembled, and when once assembled the parts are positively locked and held against disassembly or displacement, except by the application and use of considerable force and/or by cutting, or other destruction of the fastening, the tag, the bracket,or other parts.

The locking member 5 has a head portion 6, in the present instance shown asbeing substantially in the form of a circular disc, and 'the bifurcated locking portion 1 has the two springlike locking fingers 8 and 9 thereof provided with detent spurs i0 and Il. The ends of the locking fingers 8 and 9 are beveled or rounded,

as at I2, outwardly towardthe detent spurs I and H.

The locking body l3, ve'niently made to be of substantially parabolical shape, and is provided with a recess I4 entering from its flat or plane end. This recess is preferably made substantially of rectangular form at its entering end, and is of sufficient width to receive the width of the two spring finger portions 8 and 9, but is not'so. wide as to permit free entrance of the locking spur projections l0 and H, I-nwardly from the entering end, the recess 14 is enlarged to provide locking shoulders l5, and a reentrant rib I6 is preferably provided I at the inner end of the recess.

This locking body I3 is thus in effect provided at its fiat or plane end with an opening that will not pass the spurred outer ends of the locking portion 1 of the lock member 5, but as the ends of the spring finger portions 8 and 9 are sloped or rounded off, pressure exerted upon the head portion 6 of the lock member will cause the finger portions 8 and 9 to flex sufficiently to allow passage .of the projecting spur portions through the entrance of the recess l4, and due to the resiliency of the finger portions 8," and 9 these locking spurs I0 and II will be sprung out to engage. back of the shoulders l5,

within the recess M. The central rib I6, will perhapsserve to prevent twisting or lateral. movement between the locking body and the lock member, and due to the fact that the looking body 13 is entirely closed at its outer end no access can be had to tamper with the lock engagement of the portion 1.-

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the device of my invention as it will be fitted for use in holding an automobile license plate in proper place upon the usual mounting bracket, and it will be seen that the head portion 6 of the lock member engages with the license plate I, while the fiat or plane face of the locking body l3 engages with the face of the mounting bracket'Z.

These parts will serve to effectively and securely hold and support the license plate in position, and as the locking spurs l0 and H are caught against the shoulders l5, and no access can be had to release this engagement or otherwise tamper with the locking parts, the tag is secured and is positively locked and held against removal and against casual displacement or loss.

In some instances it may be found desirable or necessary to fill out slightly between the inner or clamping faces of the lock member 5 and the locking body l3, and this is readily accomplished by the use of a washer l1, illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, which can be made of rubber,

fiber, soft metal, or any other material that may a be desired. This washer has a substantially rectangular opening l8 therethrough and thus ,1 the washer is readily fitted over the portion I of the lock member, and over the locking spurs I0 and II.

In some instances it may be desired to adapt the fastening device for use with various thicknesses of materials or members to be fastened and locked together, and this can be accomplished by the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 9. As here shown, the locking body I9 has a recess 20 therein, and inwardly from the flat face of the body I9 this recess 20 is provided with a plurality'of spaced shoulder portions 20. The locking spurs IO and II of the lock member 5 can be engaged with any one of the oppositely disposed sets of shoulders 20, and thus provision is here shown as conis made for'adjustment-in the spacing between the clamping faces of the head 6 and the body l9.

As has been stated, in assembling and locking this fastening it is only necessary to insert the portion 1 of the lock member through suitable openings in the members to be supported and fastened, to place the locking .body with the tapered or rounded end portions l2 received in the recess ,ahd to then exert sufrlcient pres sure to move-the portions"! into the recess It. so that the lo'cking spurs l0 and H. willpass and will expand out to engage behind the shoulders I5. When the parts have been assembled in this manner, the fastening device serves as an effective and efficient lock which defies separation or release of the parts, except by the use of such force as will destroy the parts, and probably disfigure 'and destroy, or render useless, the automobile license tag or other part as thus supported and locked.

While the head portion 6 is here illustrated as being substantially in the form of a flat circular disc, this might be the supporting base for a glass jewel or reflector, can be constructed as a base or support for a lodge, club, or other insignia, and in fact, can be of any desired shape, form, construction and design. Likewise, the locking body 13' I provided a locking fastening device of simple and inexpensive construction, that can be used in supporting, securing and locking in place automobile license tags, signs, plates or sheets of material, and in fact can be employed in supporting, fastening and locking substantially any form or type of structure, and which is so constructed and assembled that when the devic'eis fitted in place the parts cannot be removed without appreciable and perceptible damage to and/or destruction of the parts. 7

While I have herein shown and described only certain specific embodiments of my invention and have suggested only certain possible modifications and different adaptations, it will be appreciated that many changes and variations can be made in the form, construction, arrangement, assembly, and use of the parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

An automobile license plate holder comprising, in combination, a license plate provided with an elongated fastener receiving. opening of usual form, a license plate bracket having an elongatedfastener receiving opening aligned with the corresponding opening of the plate when said license plate is fitted against the bracket, a holding locking member provided with an enlarged head and closed on all other sides, said recess being adapted to receive the bifurcated resilient arm portions when the same are flexed inwardly and the recess being provided'on opposite sides with laterally and inwardly faced shoulders behind which the shoulders of the flexible bifurcated arm portions are engaged when said bifurcated ends of the locking member are forced into the recess to thus retain the locking body upon the locking member and hold said parts and the license plate against unauthorized removal from the bracket.

WILLIAM H. HOBBY. 

